Chapter 1 - Rivers

Question 1

What is the name for where a river begins?

Answer 1

The source

Question 2

What are tributaries?

Answer 2

Smaller rivers that join to the main river

Question 3

What is the watershed?

Answer 3

Imaginary line that separates two drainage basins

Question 4

What is the point where two rivers join called?

Answer 4

Confluence

Question 5

What is a river long profile?

Answer 5

A profile that shows a rivers gradient and how it changes as it flows from its mouth to the source

Question 6

What is attrition?

Answer 6

When material in the river bumps into each other smoothing each other down into smaller particles

Question 7

What is abrasion?

Answer 7

The process by which the bed and banks are worn down by the rivers load

Question 8

What is hydraulic action?

Answer 8

The process by which the bed and banks of the river are eroded by the force of water against them

Question 9

What is solution?

Answer 9

Chemicals, acids, dissolved in water slowly dissolve bed and banks

Question 10

Which one erosion process in rivers has no effect on the bed and banks?

Answer 10

Attrition

Question 11

Which one process of erosion does the load of the river not take part in?

Answer 11

Hydraulic action

Question 12

What is channelisation?

Answer 12

Channelisation is where the banks and bed is man made to allow less friction therefore speeding up water flow, however it causes more flooding downstream

Question 13

Name flood management methods

Answer 13

Channelisation, flood relief channels, flood warning systems, retention ponds, dams, doing nothing, afforestation, levees/embankments, floodplain zoning

Question 14

What are retention ponds?

Answer 14

Allows run off to be temporarily stored therefore lessens the risk of flooding,however this takes up a lot of room and only holds a little water

Question 15

What are dams?

Answer 15

Large concrete walls built to control discharge in a river meaning water can be held back and released in a controlled way, however this means more severe flooding upstream

Question 16

What is a flood warning system?

Answer 16

Allows early warnings to evacuate areas of flood risk and therefore reduce damage and warn people on advance

Question 17

What is a flood relief channel?

Answer 17

A built/dug our channel which allows water to bypass the main channel during times of flooding meaning more floodplain land is needed but main channel remains untouched

Question 18

In hydrographs what is the bar and what is the line?

Answer 18

The bar is the rainfall, the line is the temperature

Question 19

What is afforestation? How does this help prevent flooding?

Answer 19

Afforestation is the planting of new trees, by doing this around rivers the trees intercept rainfall meaning it takes longer to get to the river meaning it doesn’t rise so rapidly and the roots absorb some of the water meaning less enters the river

Question 20

What are levees/ embankments?

Answer 20

They increase the potential maximum area of the river channel allowing it to hold more water before bursting its banks

Question 21

What is floodplain zoning?

Answer 21

Considering where to build things and trying to avoid important property on areas that is likely to be flooded. Basically use common sense

Question 22

What does a rivers cross profile show?

Answer 22

How a river changes as it moves from upper to lower course as a result in changes of the rivers energy, different features

Question 23

What is the discharge? What is its equation?

Answer 23

The amount of water flowing through the river.
It’s the CSA (cross sectional area) x velocity
CSA = depth x width
So it is the same as width x depth x velocity

Question 24

Which course has the least energy? Therefore the highest is …

Answer 24

The upper course has the least energy, the lower course has the most

Question 25

Where is Sediment deposited in the upper course? Middle course? Lower course?

Answer 25

UC is on river bed MC is on inner bend of meanders and on flood plains LC is at the rivers mouth

Question 26

What is the most dominant transportation at each course?

Answer 26

UC is traction, not much other sediment around MC is saltation, although it is a mix and load has been eroded and there is more energy LC is suspension, it’s been eroded a lot and is carried in the water, often making the water seem murky

Question 27

How is a V shaped valley formed?

Answer 27

The river erodes downwards then the sides of the river are weathered and the rocks are pulled down by gravity over time into the river and taken away by the river, over time the rocks are eroded away leaving a v shaped valley

Question 28

What must the rock be like on a river bed for a waterfall to form ?

Answer 28

There must be soft rock underneath hard rock

Question 29

How does a waterfall form?

Answer 29

The hard rock is undercut and apt he soft rock underneath it is eroded, this then forms a plunge pool, the hard rock then falls due to gravity and creates a step. This step keeps occurring and getting larger and over time recedes

Question 30

What is a gorge?

Answer 30

The cut in the Earth where a waterfall has eroded it/ receded, where their make their way upstream

Question 31

When does a waterfall stop receding / eroding?

Answer 31

When it meets hard rock on hard rock and there is no soft rock to erode

Question 32

What is capacity?

Answer 32

Maximum amount of things a river can carry/ hold

Question 33

What is competence?

Answer 33

The largest seized individual particles a river can carry, the kargest rock it can move

Question 34

How do small natural levees form?

Answer 34

Heaviest material is deposited first nearest the river bank when the river speed slows, this then builds up to form a small natural levee

Question 35

What is an estuary?

Answer 35

The tidal part of a river where fresh water from the river merges from saltwater from the sea

Question 36

What is the thalweg?

Answer 36

The fastest direction of flow in a river (the fastest route), such as in a river meander this is around the outside bend